Day Twenty ∞ Wednesday, after midnight

THEY SANK DOWN on the couch, and Danny wrapped his arm around Mickmi as she rested her head on his shoulder and interlaced her fingers with his. He found himself sensing the ever-so-soft breeze on his face and beyond, and the barely audible sound of water rippling against the rocks around the rotunda.

This peaceful, magical place was strangely devoid of other night sounds. As the thought crossed his mind, a chorus of distant chirping interrupted the silence, and he felt Mickmi's smile radiate through him.

—Any thing else missing?

Danny chuckled. —Yeah... Nightbirds.

An unfamiliar owl landed on the picket fence and tilted its head almost 90 degrees, regarding them with its large, round orange eyes. Then it blinked slowly and launched into the air with a deep hoot.

He'd never felt so serene. —This place... It's so amazing. That you would share this with me.

She lifted his hand to softly press it against her lips.

After what felt like too short a time, a shimmering column of light at the entrance of the rotunda attracted their attention.

"She comes," Mickmi whispered. She sighed and pushed her bangs back for her royal circlet to decorate her forehead and ears again. Danny rose with her as she turned to face the visitor.

A silhouette took form, then L'or Aug materialized with a focused expression on her face. She was dressed in a black uniform, similar to Mickmi's on the day Danny found her, but the open jacket was sky-blue. She swept her gaze around before landing it on Mickmi, and her mouth opened. For several moments she stared at her, and Danny realized with newfound knowledge that she was 'reading' Mickmi.

L'or Aug threw a glance in his direction before dropping to one knee, lowering her head and spreading her arms with her palms open. "My Queen. This humble retainer is present at your summon. Command me, I am yours."

"Your presence is appreciated, L'or Aug. Welcome. It is time you lay aside your trespasses and claim your position as the Queen's Second and Advisor."

L'or Aug kept her eyes downcast. "My Queen, forgive my ignorance but... may I have word of when—how the ceremony took place?"

"Four nights ago, Blanc Aave, as last appointed representative of Queen Leyonara, officiated a very small, private ceremony with two witnesses, anointing me as the successor and as the Seventh Queen of the United Lands. Tell me now, wish you to contest her decision?"

L'or Aug looked up with a mournful smile. "I am not even worthy to be in your presence, my Queen, let alone contest the decision of our Preceptor. I have fallen too low to be even remotely a candidate for any position of command. I request the harsher punishment be imposed on me."

"Sorry, L'or Aug—we need you." Mickmi smiled sadly. "There have been disturbing developments. We have brought danger to this planet and we need your skills as the pilot of your vessel." She stepped forward and took her by the arms, directing her to her feet. "But first, I want to introduce Daniel, my soulmate. Daniel... this is my dear sister, L'or Leypa Aug."

Danny approached and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

L'or Aug took his hand hesitantly. "I remember you from the bank. Please... forgive me for trying to mind-force you."

"Yeah, well, no worries, L'or Aug." He vaguely remembered his head feeling weird that day. "It's all forgotten."

He studied her. Her eyes glinted strangely golden in the moonlight. Artemae looked more like Mickmi's sibling than she did. Were they really sisters?

"I am humbled—thank you... Please, I would prefer to be called Lora."

He nodded, stepping back. "Lora."

"I must brief you, L'or Aug," Mickmi said. "Much has happened. When we were trapped by the Singularity that brought us into this dimension, one of our orbital plants for the manufacture of antimatter was trapped also."

An expression of alarm appeared on Lora's face. Danny watched her demeanor change to alert resolve as Mickmi told her the whole story.

"We must stop it from falling on this planet! The destruction would be horrible."

"Preparations are in place to have a crew help us do just that. You will lead a crew on Paulux, while I shall take another on Deymos." Mickmi drew a long breath and added, "Then, in about two months' time, we hope to head home to save as many of our people as we can and start rebuilding our civilization."

Lora gasped and stared at Mickmi, tears springing to her eyes. "But..." She swallowed. "But how? Nobody could possibly have survived two weeks, let alone two months after that... event."

Mickmi held her by the shoulders and locked her gaze with hers. "We shall travel—not only inter-dimensionally and spatially—we shall displace temporally – to a point in time... some time after the initial event."

Lora looked blank for a few seconds, then understanding dawned on her face. "Oh." Then she tilted her head curiously. "Some time after? Should we not go before it happened and prevent it from happening altogether?"

Sighing, Mickmi furrowed her brow. "We will not risk it. We can not risk creating a time paradox. If we do, we could create a time loop—for either ourselves or our former selves. If either of ourselves get trapped in a time loop, we may never be able to escape. Nay, having ourselves exist simultaneously with our earlier selves in the same space-time is – too – dangerous. We shall aim for at least 45 minutes later—at least the psychic explosion will have weakened enough by then, that it will not destroy... our minds – again."

Thoughtfully, Lora stepped away and paced the deck. After a while, she nodded. "I agree." She halted and glanced at Danny. "I found a companion, too. Will it be acceptable to take him with us... if he is willing?"

"Only if he is willing to leave this reality behind." Mickmi regarded Danny. "There is no – guarantee – we will ever be able to travel back. Any one coming with us must do so with full understanding... and by their own – free – will, you understand."

"Aye, I do," Lora replied.

—You're really drilling it in, Mi, aren't you?

Lora grinned. "So... Are you ready to become a vegetarian?"

His eyes widened. —Can she hear me too? "You mean... there's no meat in your world?"

Both girls laughed.

—Only here... in my dream-scape, Mickmi responded. You have yet to learn to shield your thoughts.

"Oh, there is meat, yes," Lora waved a finger at him, "but not as plentiful as you are used to. Most of us are vegetarian by choice. We have machines—replicators—which can make anything we wish. Any dish. And any meat. But very few people still eat actual animal muscles and organs."

"Is it like a religious custom or something?"

Mickmi smiled. "In my case you could say so, though not religious. I may be considered of... Neo-Buddhist tradition. Buddhism speaks of how violent killing of animals – pollute their bodies with vibrations – caused by their suffering. When you consume their flesh, you absorb those negative vibrations."

A twinge of worry shot through Danny before amusement struck him. "You're trying to scare me! No matter what, I'll do it to be together with you."

Lora chuckled. "Worry not, you still can eat meat. Or, were you to choose to abstain, you can do it in a controlled way... to avoid side effects. But nobody will force you."

"I'm cool with that." He'd better be prepared for anything.

Mickmi became solemn. "There is one more thing I must do before we part ways. L'or Aug, I want you to meet a dear – friend – of mine."

The air shimmered again and Artemae appeared beside Mickmi. Lora looked puzzled as Artemae curtsied with a flourish.

"I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm Artemae."

Lora scanned her and glanced curiously at Mickmi, opening her mouth.

"When we tried to flee to safety from that cataclysm..." Mickmi said before she could speak, "when we suffered that... telepathic onslaught, my mind shut down... At the same time, and as that vortex grabbed us... my Ark Protocol self-activated and restarted – several times, producing an uncontrolled number of Nanites—several trillion in a very short timespan. Later their configuration mutated, linked together and grew.

"The conjunction of such a large amount of – interlocked micro-processors – created a new entity, the Supramind. She chose to name herself Artemae and enjoys taking on a human appearance. This is her."

Lora gaped at Artemae. "Oh, heavens! This... this is impossible. A Super Intelligence? Created accidentally? This is... this is just incredible."

"Yeah, I know." Artemae curtsied again. "I'm a miracle!"

After studying her with renewed interest, Lora turned to Mickmi with a serious face. "You know what you must do."

Mickmi sighed. "Aye, I know." She faced the girl. "Dear Artemae, there is something you must be made aware of. Remember you our laws concerning entities possessing Artificial Intelligence?"

"Of course I do! I know all our laws."

"Well, there is a choice you need to make, now, before we can proceed further."

Mickmi paused, watching Artemae who looked back at her, apparently unaware of what she was referring to.

"According to our laws," Mickmi continued, "you – are – Sentient Artificial Intelligence. Therefore, you have the same rights any member of our society is entitled to at birth. This means I can not force you to be with me. You are free to leave me and go... if you so choose."

Artemae looked confused. "Go?"

"Oh! That is correct," Lora said. "She has rights now."

Danny was just as puzzled. "Sorry, you kinda lost me there. What rights?"

"According to our Berlin Accord of Anno 2678," Mickmi replied, "signed and ratified by 120 nations, any Artificial Intelligence as an entity is entitled to certain rights, in a limited fashion. However, the Amendments of 3017 enhanced those rights to the same extent as applicable to any citizen—of any race—of the ERP...  the Earth Confederation of Planets."

She turned to Artemae. "When Deymos was chosen to take charge of my current vessel, she could have chosen to decline and take another assignment. The same holds true for my previous caretaker, Amaltea. You, however, were never given the choice because... you were a simple NSAI when I was entrusted to your care. Now you have outgrown that role and are a fully sentient entity.

"I am sorry I addressed not this issue sooner. It is true that many pressing matters claimed my attention. Nevertheless, I should not have allowed it to slip my mind."

"NSAI? Is that a 'Non-Sentient Artificial Intelligence'?" Danny interjected.

"Aye." Mickmi took the girl's hands in hers. "Artemae, what I mean is, you are free to choose another assignment or none whatsoever. If you are dissatisfied with your current station, you can ask for a transfer or to be released from any task. You are free to leave. It is your right."

Danny frowned in thought. "Mickmi... I don't think that's considered a valid right here. Not for any kind of artificial intelligence. Certainly not here in the States—and probably not anywhere in our world. Though I don't doubt that man Gray would do anything to get her to work for him."

"It is Artemae's choice. She is no longer bound to me," she responded and stepped back.

"What?" Artemae raised her brows at the three looking at her. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Understand you," Lora said, "your rights?"

"Of course! I choose to be my Queen's Protector." She curtsied before Mickmi, bowing her head. "And I may choose to be released from that role at any time."

Mickmi smiled. "Thank you, Artemae. You may return to your post."

In an instant, Artemae was gone, and Mickmi turned to Lora. "L'or Aug, we shall prepare for the mission in the morning. Meet us by the vessels as soon as you can. I will return Paulux's control to you then."

Lora bowed her head in acknowledgment.

"And... you should be aware—there is a contingent of armed soldiers guarding our vessels. I trust they will not cause you problems." Mickmi smiled. "Rest well, L'or Aug."

"Thank you, my Queen. You too." Lora nodded at Danny and vanished.

"Wow," Danny said after a few moments of silence. "That was... interesting."

Mickmi regarded him, her eyes glittering variegated shades of green. "Shall we?"

"Uh... what?"

Smiling mischievously, she gestured to her side and a section of the picket fence opened like a gate. Three stone steps led into the broad reflection of light stretching across the lake.

"Come."

"For a swim?" He approached the edge of the deck, ready to pull off his shirt.

"Nay." Mickmi stopped him with a hand on his chest and chuckled. "Come."

Her dress flowed around her as she stepped to the bottom step and looked over her shoulder. Danny joined her and tested the water with his hand. It was pleasantly warm.

"How deep is it?"

"Deep enough. But it matters not. Walk to the shore."

"Whoa. You're—" He scrutinized her as she grinned. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Where are we?"

"We're..." He looked across the lake at the moon that hadn't budged from its spot in the star-speckled sky and swallowed as the answer dawned on him. "Not anywhere."

"Forget what you know. Trust me." She held out her hand, and he interlaced his fingers with hers.

"I trust you."

She took a step, and he drew a deep breath and followed suit. By the second step, he realized his feet weren't getting wet. A profound joy filled his being as they slowly walked the glowing path. They had reached halfway across when Mickmi stopped. All around them, the lake stretched out like a sheet of glass.

"This is amazing," he whispered, turning to her serene smile. "You are."

He needed to seal this magical moment. Cupping her face, he bent close and gave her a long kiss. As he caressed her lips with his, a tingling field of energy enveloped them like a cocoon.

"Daniel... Open your eyes."

∞

Jagg pushed himself up by the elbow as Lora paused in the doorway to the adjoining suite, wrapped in the sheet from her room. It shimmered in the soft light from the nightstand.

"Well... did you get her?"

She stared vacantly in the air for several seconds before she strode inside and reached for one of her shoes on the floor. "I must go. It is more serious than I thought."

"Hold on." Jagg pushed himself to sit at the end of the king-sized bed. "Now? What time you supposed to meet her?"

"As soon as possible." She turned around, looking for the other shoe.

"Good. Then you can get a few more hours' sleep. You need it. Plus we wanna see where we're going. Come here."

He pulled her to him by the satin sheet, causing it to slip down her waist. She looked at him but she was still distant.

"How 'bout we get up in time for breakfast? They don't serve before six. For the amount them charging, we've gotta taste some of that food." He teased the sheet down her hips. "By then it'll be daylight."

"Okay." A furrow appeared between her brows as she pushed her fingers into his afro and pulled him into a hungry kiss. She ended it as quickly as she started and climbed into bed, leaving the sheet behind.

Jagg lifted a brow at her and the shadow of the leopard on her back. Something was going on in that head of hers again but he wasn't about to ask her what. He crawled to lie down behind her and pulled her close like he did the first night they slept together when she couldn't sleep. This time it was skin to skin but he ignored what his body wanted to do, forcing himself to relax.

"If I could go back," Lora said when he'd almost dozed off, "would you come with me?"

Surprised, he lifted his head to look over her shoulder. "Go back?"

"To my world. Would you?" She turned on her back to study him.

Humming, he reached for her chain and pulled the spiral pendant out of hiding behind her choker, brushing her breast as he placed it on her chest. "I'm here, ain't I? You're my tiger."

"Even if it meant you could never return here... to your world again?"

Never return? Only now did the meaning of what she was saying sink in. "Hold on. You told me your planet is dead—gone."

"I saw what I saw," Lora whispered, her eyes glistening. "I was wrong. There may be a way for me to go back and help my people."

"And... what in the world would I be doing there?"

She searched his gaze. "Helping me to help them."

Jagg stared at her. Then he rolled on the satin pillow to look vacantly at the ceiling. Follow her? To some other bloody planet? He didn't mind the idea of going on an adventure with his woman. But leaving this world, his new life with the crew for good had not been part of his plans. They were his family.

— ∞ —

©2019 by kemorgan65